Appliable doll decorations

ABSTRACT

A doll construction kit which enables a child to mold a threedimensional doll and decorate it will preprinted labels so that the doll has an attractive appearance similar to that of a doll wholly constructed at a factory. Preprinted labels defining clothing and defining facial and hair features are provided for application by a child to a doll he has molded, the labels being constructed of a rubber-like material so they can stretch when applied to a contoured doll surface, to eliminate wrinkles. They will also stretch when doll is posed in various positions.

1 United States Patent [191 Shapero [in 3,783,554 [451 Jan. 8, 1974APPLIABLE DOLL DECORATIONS [75] Inventor: Wallace H. Shapero, El Toro,Calif.

[73] Assignee: Mattel, Inc., Hawthorne, Calif.

[22] Filed: Feb. 4, 1972 21 Ap'pl. No.2 223,586

[52] US. Cl 46/116, 46/DIG. 1, 46/157 [51] Int. Cl A63h 13/00- [58]Field of Search 46/DIG. l, 157, 22, 46/116; 206/46, DIG. 18, 56 AB;229/48 SB [56] References Cited I UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,331,77610/1943 Heggedal 46/DIG. 1 3,316,669 5/1967 Nachbar 46/DIG. 1 2,079,5505/1937 Mott 229/48 SB FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1/1935 GreatBritain 46/DIG. 1

Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant ExaminerD. L. WeinholdAttorney-Seymour A. Scholnick [57] ABSTRACT A doll construction kitwhich enables a child to mold a three-dimensional doll and decorate itwill preprinted labels so that the doll has an attractive appearancesimilar to that of a doll wholly constructed at a factory. Preprintedlabels defining clothing and defining facial and hair features areprovided for application by a child to a doll he has molded, the labelsbeing constructed of a rubber-like material so they can stretch whenapplied to a contoured doll surface, to eliminate wrinkles. They willalso stretch when doll is posed in various positions.

, 6 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures APPLIABLE DOLL DECORATIONS BACKGROUND OFTHE INVENTION This invention relates to toy construction apparatus forconstruction and decoration of dolls and other figures.

Toy kits for constructing dolls and other figures have long beenavailable in two-dimensional versions, wherein children cut figures fromcardboard and apply paper clothes over them. A highly entertaining kitis provided by a molding set that enables children 'to mold contoured,or three-dimensional figures and decorate them. Molds can be suppliedthat enable children to accurately form figures to the required shape,but it is difficult to provide means for enabling children to decoratesuch figures to represent facial and hair features as well as clothing.Children cannot paint accurately enough, while decoration labelsheretofore available could not be applied to a contoured surface withoutexcessive wrinkling.

SUMMARY or THE INVENTION In accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention, a toy construction apparatus .is provided withenables a child to decorate a contoured doll figure in an attractivemanner. The apparatus includes a group of labels of thin rubber-likematerial which can be readily applied to a contoured doll surface sothat the labels can stretch to follow compoundly curved surfaces of thedoll figure without wrinklingjThe labels have front faces that arepreprinted to represent colorful clothing and to represent facial andhair features,

and have back faces covered with an adhesive that can hold themtenaciously to a doll surface. The labels are held between front andback protective sheets, which can be stripped away when the labels areto be applied to a 'doll figure. In order to facilitate handling of thethin labels that have adhesive thereon, the backing sheets and theadhesive on the back of the labels are chosen so that when the backingsheets are peeled apart the labels stick to the front sheet. Theadhesive on the back face of the label is thus exposed, and a dollfigure can be pressed against the back of the label to begin theapplication. When the doll figure is lifted from the front protectivesheet, the label comes away with the doll figure, and the label can thenbe pressed and smoothed over the doll contours so that there are minimumwrinkles in the label and the doll is attractively decorated. Apparatusis provided to enable a child to mold a flexible doll figure, and theadhesive which holds the label to the doll is also rubber-like so itwill not crack when the doll flexes after the label is applied. 1 A

The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity inthe appended claims. The invention will best be understood from thefollowing description when read in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an exploded viewof a doll and label set of the invention, showing the manner in whichthe doll figure is decoreated by the labels;

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a portion of an injection molding kitthat enables a child to form the undecorated doll figure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the labels of FIG. 1 in a sheetarrangement,'showing the package in which they are originally supplied;

FIG. 3 is a partial view of the doll figure and labels of FIG. 1,showing the manner in which the labels are applied to the doll figure;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the doll of FIG. 1 with all the labelsapplied thereon;

FIG. 5 is a partial view of the doll of FIG. 4, but with the doll posedin a different position;

FIG. 6 is a partial view of thedoll of FIG. 4; FIG. 7 is a view taken onthe line 7-7 of FIG. 6;.

FIG. 8 is a sectional side view of molding apparatus constructed inaccordance with another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a toy figure con I structed with theapparatus of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a label designed for application to thetoy figure of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the toy figure of FIG. 9, with a label10 applied thereon; and

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken on the line l2-12 of FIG. 11.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 illustrates dollportions that can be assembled by a child to create a three-dimensionaldoll, that is, a doll with contoured surfaces, and wherein the dollisdecorated in a highly attractive manner. The apparatus includes acontoured toy FIG.,10 and numerous labels 11-18 which can be applied tothe toy figure to decorate it. The toy FIG. 10 is formed of fleshcolored material that has not been decorated. The labels 17 and 18provide attractively colored facial and hair featuresfor the toy figure,while the labels 11-16 provide colored patterns representing attractiveclothing for the toy figure. A toy kit is provided which includes moldswhich a child can use to form the toy FIG. 10, although factory-moldedtoy figures can be supplied. The toy FIG. 10 is preferably molded in aflesh-colored material so that labels are required only for clothing andfor natural features which are not flesh colored.

If the toy FIG. 10 had a flat surface or had large regions ofcylindrical or other uniform cross section, then labels of almost anythin flexible material could be applied to the doll without wrinkling.However, much of the doll surface is compoundly curved, that is,portions are curved simultaneously about more than one axis and may beportions of a sphere or other compoundly curved shape. In order topermit application of the labels to such compoundly curved surfaces, thelabels are constructed of a thin rubber-like material so that they canstretch and closely follow the surface and can therefore be applied withlittle if any wrinkling. Sheets of a latex material with a thickness ofless than fivethousanths inch can be used for the labels.

Each of the labels 11-18 has a front surface 20 which carries a coloredimprinting defining a decoration, while the back surface 22 of eachlabel carries a layer of adhesive 52 that holds it to the toy figure. Achild can apply a label by pressing the middle of the back surface 22against an appropriate region of the toy figure, so that the label isheld in place by the adhesive. Then the child wraps the label onto thecontoured doll surface, smoothing the side portions to eliminatewrinkles while assuring that all portions of the label are firmlypressed against the doll surface. The thin resilient label materialpermits stretching to allow the labels to follow the compoundly curveddoll contours without wrinkling.

The thin, stretchable labels would be difficult for a child to handle ifthey were not held by carrier apparatus, and the difficulty would begreatly increased if a child had to apply a thin coating of adhesive tothe labels and then handle them prior to sticking them on the toyfigure. FIG. 2 illustrates a label package 30 for facilitating handlingand application of labels by a child. The package includes a frontprotective sheet 32, a back protective sheet 34, and the labels 11-18disposed between the protective sheets. The labels are positioned withtheir front surfaces disposed against the front protective sheet 32 andtheir back surfaces 22 with adhesive thereon disposed against the backprotective sheet 34. The labels l1-l8 are individual rather thanportions of a sheet of label material, and the protective sheets havecut-out lines 36 extending around each of the labels.

In order to apply a label to the toy FIG. 10, a child first cuts out aportion of the label assembly 30 by cutting along a cut-out line 36. Thecut-out line 36 is spaced a small distance outside the edge of a label,so that even if a child wanders slightly from the cut-out line he willnot cut off any portion of the label. After cutting out a label region,the child strips away the portion of the back protective sheet 34 thatlies over the adhesive on the label back face 22. The child then pressesthedoll against the adhesively-coated back face 22 of the label whileaportion of the front protective sheet 32 remains on the front face 20of the label to facilitate handling. With part of the label stuck ontothe doll, the child pulls away the front protective sheet portion 32,leaving the label stuck onto the doll. The label is then smoothed overthe doll surface to follow the doll contours without wrinkling. FIG. 3illustrates the manner in which a label 12 that is held on a frontprotective sheet 32 is applied to the toy FIG. 10, and also showsremoval of the front protective sheet 32 from another label 11 after theadhesively-coated back face of the label 11 has been applied to the toyfigure.

The packaging assembly 30 facilitates handling of very thin and elasticlabels which are the kind that can most easily follow doll contourswithout wrinkling. The back protective sheet 34 protects the adhesiveuntil the label is to be applied, while the front protective sheetserves as a carrier which stiffens the label until it is stuck on thedoll so that the label is never free of any stiflening support.

In order to permit stripping away of the protective sheets 32, 34 andapplication of the label to the doll in the manner described above, itis necessary that the protective sheets 32, 34 strip away from the labelin a predetermined sequence. After a child has cut out a portion of thepackage 30 that contains one label, he may grasp the edges of the twoprotective sheet portions 32, 34 and pull them apart. The regions of theprotective sheets 32, 34 outside of the label areas must not stick toone another, so that a child can readily grasp them to pull them apart.As the child pulls the two sheets 32, 34 apart, the front surface of thelabel must stick to the front protective sheet 34 so that theadhesive-coated back surface 22 of the label is exposed. This may beaccomplished by utilizing a back protective sheet 34 covered with a waxysubstance that adheres to the adhesive on the back face 22 of the labelwith very low tenacity, and by utilizing a front protective sheet 32that sticks to the label with greater tenacity. The toy FIG. 10 isconstructed of a material which is held very tenaciously by the adhesiveon the back surface 22 of the label, so that after the label is appliedto the toy figure and the front sheet 32 is pulled away, the labelalways sticks to the toy figure. The labels 11-18 and the toy FIG. 10can both be constructed of a latex material, while an adhesive for theback face 22 is chosen that adheres very strongly to such material.

The labels 17, 18 that define facial and hair features are constructedto facilitate the accurate location of such features on the toy FIG. 10.The decorations 18c representing the eyes must be accurately locatedwith respect to the hairline 18h in order to provide a naturalappearance. By forming the eyes and a portion of the hair on a singlelabel, accurate relative location of these features is assured. The eyesand entire hair portion cannot be readily included in a single labelbecause the highly curved head of the doll would make it difficult toapply without wrinkling. The additional label 17 representing the rearportion of the hair can be applied to overlap somewhat the hair portionof the label 18, without such overlapping being highly noticable.

FIG. 1A illustrates molding apparatus supplied with the dollconstruction apparatus, which enables a child to mold the toy FIG. 10.The toyapparatus includes a toy injection molding machine (not shown)and a pair of molds 40, 42 with cavities 44 that define the toy figure.A child can make a poseable toy'figure, such as a figure whose arms canbe posed at different positions, by laying a soft wire armature 46 inthe mold cavity 44 prior to closing the mold and injecting plasticthrough a spru hole 48 therein. A latex material can be injected so thatthe doll can easily flex, while the armature 46 tends to hold the dollat any position to which it is flexed.

FIG. 5 illustrates the flexing of the leg 50 of a decorated toy figurewhich may be originally formed in the configuration illustrated in FIGS.1 and 4. When the toy FIG. 10 is bent, as shown in FIG. 5, the labelsl1, l2 representing clothes that extend over the joint of the doll, muststretch, compress, or otherwise flex. The rubber-like characteriscic ofthe label material not only permits application to a contoured surfacewithout wrinkling, but also enables considerable bending of the dollwithout tearing of the label. In order to permit such bending, it isalso necessary that the adhesive 52 which holds the label to the doll behighly flexible. Flexibility of the adhesive after it has been applied,is especially important where the dolls are poseable. However, suchflexibility is also important where the doll is flexible, even if it isnot poseable, because otherwise deflection permitted by the label anddoll might crack the adhesive. An adhesive 52 of a type that adherestenactiously to the label and toy figure material and which remainshighly flexible after it dries or sets is therefore used.

FIGS. 8-11 illustrate another embodiment of the invention whereinprovisions are made for forming a toy FIG. 60 representing a bug, andfor decorating it with a label that represents body parts. The apparatusincludes a casting mold 62 with a cavity 64 representing the shape ofthe toy figure 60. Material to be molded 66 is poured into the mold andthe top of the mold is leveled with a scraper 68. After the moldingmaterial sets, the toy figure 60 is removed from the mold, ready fordecoration. A label assembly 70 is provided 'which includes a label 72representing body parts of the toy figure, and which also includesprotective sheets 74, 76 similar to those shown in FIG. 2. A child canapply the labels 72 to the toy figure 60 to create the completedcreature illustrated in FIG. 1 1. It may be noted that one face of thefigure is flat, so that not all portions are contoured orthree-dimensional. However, the surface of the figure which can be seenwhen the figure is upright, is highly contoured and the flexible label72 allows decoration of this surface in a neat and attractive manner. Amaterial 66 used in casting thetoy figure 60, is of a type which isflexible after it sets, although no armature is utilized to enableposing of the figure. After the label 72 is applied to the toy figure 60and the resulting creature is played with, it may be bent and portionsof it pressed in during play. To prevent-cracking of the adhesive 78that holds the label 72 to the toy figure 60, an adhesive 78 which isresilient after application is utilized.

Thus, the invention provides toy construction apparatus that permits achild to decorate a highly contoured surface, particularly one which iscompoundly curved, in a neat and attractive manner. The apparatusincludes labels constructed of a thin flexible material which is alsohighly resilient so it can stretch in closely following the contours ofthe toy figure. The label is held to the figure with an adhesive whichremains resilient after the label is applied, so that if the figuresurface is deformable the adhesive will not crack when the figuresurface is deformed. Furthermore, the resilient label and adhesive canbe applied to the joint region of a poseable toy figure, and the labeland adhesive can then follow large changes in the doll configuration.The labels are supplied in a package that includes protective sheetscovering both faces. A back protective sheet protects the adhesive untilthe label is ready for use, but is held with low tenacity by theadhesive so that it readily strips off, leaving the label held to thefront protective sheet. The front protective sheet serves as a carrierfor handling the label while it is applied to the toy figure. Theadhesive on the back face of the label adheres tenaciously to the toyfigure, so that after the label is applied to the toy figure and thefront protective sheet is pulled away, the front sheet separates fromthe label so that the label remains on the doll. The labels canrepresent clothes, and also facial and hair features. Accurate locationof the eyes with relation to the hairline have been described andillustrated herein, it is recogmind that modifications and variationsmay readily occur to those skilled in the art and consequently it isintended that the claims be interpreted to cover such modifications andequivalents.

What is claimed is: 1. In combination, a figure toy and decorative labelmeans, comprising:

a toy figure having a compoundly curved outer surface; and label meansconstructed of flexible and stretchable material and having a front faceand a back face, decorative means provided on one of said faces andadhesive means provided on the other of said faces, said adhesive meanssecuring said label means to said toy figure and said decorative meansdepicting a physical feature associated with said toy figure, saidflexible material being stretched and contoured onto said compoundlycurved surface with a minimum of wrinkling of said label means. 2. Thecombination described in claim 1 wherein: said decorative means depictsthe eyes and a portion of the hair region of said toy figure. 3. Thecombination described in claim 1 wherein:

said adhesive means is of a material that remains relabels constructedso that together they can encompass a three-dimensional toy figure bodyportion of predetermined size.

6. The combination described in claim 1 wherein said figure toyrepresents an insect and said decorative means depicts the markingsfound on the body of said insect.

1. In combination, a figure toy and decorative label means, comprising:a toy figure having a compoundly curved outer surface; and label meansconstructed of flexible and stretchable material and having a front faceand a back face, decorative means provided on one of said faces andadhesive means provided on the other of said faces, said adhesive meanssecuring said label means to said toy figure and said decorative meansdepicting a physical feature associated with said toy figure, saidflexible material being stretched and contoured onto said compoundlycurved surface with a minimum of wrinkling of said label means.
 2. Thecombination described in claim 1 wherein: said decorative means depictsthe eyes and a portion of the hair region of said toy figure.
 3. Thecombination described in claim 1 wherein: said adhesive means is of amaterial that remains resilient after application, to permit flexingwith said label means after application to said toy figure.
 4. Thecombination described in claim 1 wherein: said decorative means depictsdoll clothes.
 5. The combination described in claim 4 wherein: saidlabel means comprises a plurality of labels; a first of said labelsdefines the front part of a predetermined clothes piece that normallyencompasses the body, and a second of said labels defines the rear partof said clothes piece, said first and second labels constructed so thattogether they can encompass a three-dimensional toy figure body portionof predetermined size.
 6. The combination described in claim 1 whereinsaid figure toy represents an insect and said decorative means depictsthe markings found on the body of said insect.